St.
Olav’s (or sometimes Olaf’s) Church is the tallest
church in Estonia, currently standing to around 123.7 metres in height.

It
dates to the 12th
Century and was thought to
have been built by Tallinn’s Scandinavian community in the
days before the
Danish invasion in 1219. It is dedicated to Saint Olaf, who was Olaf II
of
Norway) and is first recorded in 1267.

The
church was originally Roman Catholic but became Lutheran
in the 1520s, shortly after this time the church tower was built to
around 125
metres in height. Since then it has been struck by lightning around ten
times
and the whole church has been burnt down around three times. Undaunted
the
tower still stands to 123 and a bit metres in height but presumably now
has an
effective lightning conductor installed!

During
the Soviet occupation of Estonia the spire of the
church was used by the KGB as a radio tower and surveillance point. In
1950 the
Lutheran Church decided that St. Olav’s was surplus to
requirements and it became
a Baptist church instead, which it remains today.

The
tall tower dominates views of Tallinn from Toompea Hill
and it is one of Tallinn’s most recognisable landmarks.